6 years on,file on prime plot awaits revenue ministry decision

A 5.41-acre prime government plot on Senapati Bapat Road is lying undeveloped with a housing society and the Maharashtra State Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology (MSIHCT) staking claim on it. The file regarding the dispute has been pending before the Revenue Ministry since 2004 but a final decision on possession is still awaited.

The land was with the Director of Technical Education,which runs the adjacent MSIHCT,for long. However,when the MSIHCT failed to make use of the land,it was reclaimed by the government. At this point,some Revenue Department officers approached the ministry to get their society rolling. Though the bureaucrats managed to get an order in favour of the Gayatri Society floated by them,it was quashed by the then Divisional Commissioner. Shirdi Devasthan CEO Kishore More,who took the lead in the project,said: “Once the land was with the government we approached the collector to start a society and got approval.” Another bureaucrat who was part of the society said they had 25 members,comprising revenue,police and other government officers. “We had got the land at a subsidised rate and were about to start construction.”

But the MSIHCT is not ready to relinquish its claim on the plot and said it could not build on the plot due to a lack of funds. “We have had the land since 1989. However,a fund crunch delayed our project. We have now entered into a tri-party agreement with the Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education,Joint Director of Technical Education,Pune and the principal of the institute to build a five-storey building to conduct the degree programme and house a ladies hostel,” said MSIHCT principal Sunetra Roday,adding that their building plan is with the Pune Municipal Corporation. Director of Technical Education Dr S K Mahajan added that government cannot take back land when there is a need to expand facilities at MSIHCT. “The blueprint for the construction is ready and we are awaiting approvals,” he said.

“Last month,I met Revenue Minister Narayan Rane and staked a claim on the land. The minister is yet to take a decision,” said Roday. More,too,said they were awaiting for a decision from the Revenue Ministry. “We will adopt a wait and watch policy now,” he said.